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Data mixer for portable communications devicesRelated Patent Categories: Pulse Or Digital Communications, Bandwidth Reduction Or Expansion, Television Or Motion Video SignalData mixer for portable communications devices description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060104347, Data mixer for portable communications devices. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to the field of data communications. More particularly, this invention relates to combining multiple audio communication streams and/or multiple video communication streams from more than one source into a single audio stream and/or a single video stream for sending to a wireless device. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Electronic conferencing capabilities exist for desktop computers and telephone equipment, whereby several conference participants exchange audio and/or video information with one another. Unlike traditional point-to-point communications between two ends of a communication link (as with, e.g., ordinary telephone calls), conferencing usually involves three or more parties. For example, in the video conferencing context, a given party generally desires to see and hear two or more other parties to the conference ("conference participants" or "conferees"), preferably at the same time. [0003] Vendors currently sell systems and services that provide such electronic conferencing capabilities. In order to accommodate the multiple conferees simultaneously taking part in a conference, these systems need to handle greater processing and bandwidth loads than ordinary communications systems. As a result, these systems and services can be relatively expensive to buy or lease, and they also demand high-capacity network capabilities. Additionally, these systems are generally larger than their non-conferencing counterparts, and are thus not readily portable or mobile. [0004] Recently, wireless service providers and wireless telephone makers have begun to offer "camera phones" and "video phones," generally as consumer novelty items. Camera phones are provided with a camera lens, digital camera hardware, and software that enable them to take photographs. Once taken, these photographs may be, for example, transmitted directly to other wireless users, or sent as email attachments. [0005] With video phones, for example, a video clip consisting of a collection of still images, or frames of video, is captured and generally compressed into an electronic file. Like photographs, a video clip may be transmitted directly to other wireless users as a video stream, or sent as email attachments, for example. Video streams received by wireless devices are generally processed and displayed using media player programs built into the receiving wireless devices. [0006] Traditionally, video streams have been sent and received by wireless devices in a batch mode, rather than in real-time, in order to reduce the consumption of computing and bandwidth resources. More recently, multimedia wireless devices have been offered that are able to receive and display a video stream (and play audio) in substantially real-time. [0007] Currently available wireless devices (e.g., video phones), however, are not able to receive and process more than one audio stream at any given time or more than one video stream at any given time. Therefore, these devices are generally not adapted to provide video conferencing functionality, whereby, for example, a user can enjoy hearing and/or seeing more than one other participant in a conference at the same time. [0008] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods and systems for combining a plurality of data streams (e.g., two or more audio signals and/or two or more video signals) into a single voice stream and/or a single video stream for sending to a wireless user. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] Methods and systems are provided for combining a plurality of data streams into a single data stream for sending to a wireless user. According to the invention, using one or more data mixers, two or more video streams are combined into a single video stream, and/or two or more audio streams are combined into a single audio stream. The resulting audio stream and/or video stream are then sent to a wireless device to be processed and played out to a user. [0010] In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for combining at least two streams of data, each from respective wireless devices, wherein the method includes receiving a first stream of data from a first wireless device, receiving a second stream of data from a second wireless device, decimating at least one of the first and second streams of data, combining the remaining first and second streams of data after the decimating at least one of the first and second streams of data to form a combined stream of data having data representing each of said first and second streams of data, and delivering the combined stream of data to a third wireless device. [0011] In a second embodiment, the invention provides a method for combining at least two streams of video data, each from respective wireless devices, wherein the method includes receiving a first stream of video data from a first wireless device that fits a first portion of image space, receiving a second stream of video data from a second wireless device that fits a second portion of image space that is substantially different from the first portion of image space, and combining the first and second portions of image space into a single image space of a combined video stream that is suitable for sending to a third wireless device. [0012] In a third embodiment, the invention provides a system for combining at least a first data stream received from a first wireless device and a second data stream received from a second wireless device into a combined data stream suitable for delivery to a third wireless device, wherein the system includes at least one data buffer for buffering at least some of the second data stream and potentially buffering at least some of the first data stream, and a data mixer for combining at least some of the potentially buffered first data stream with at least some of the buffered second data stream to form a combined data stream having data representing both of the first and second data streams. [0013] In a fourth embodiment, the invention provides a system for combining at least a first data stream received from a first wireless device and a second data stream received from a second wireless device into a combined data stream suitable for delivery to a third wireless device, wherein the system includes means for buffering at least some of the second data stream, and means for combining at least some of the first data stream with at least some of the buffered second data stream to form a combined data stream having data representing both of the first and second data streams. [0014] In a fifth embodiment, the invention provides a data mixer that receives at least a first data stream from a first wireless device and a second data stream from a second wireless device, the data mixer that combines at least some of the first data stream with at least some of the second data stream to form a combined data stream having data representing both of the first and second data streams, wherein the combined data stream is suitable for delivery to a third wireless device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0015] Additional embodiments of the invention, its nature and various advantages, will be more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which: [0016] FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration showing the respective data streams sent and received by three conferees using a media conferencing server according to one embodiment of the present invention; [0017] FIG. 2 shows a table listing the respective audio and video streams that are combined and provided to each of the three conferees of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention; [0018] FIG. 3 is a more detailed, but still simplified, illustration of the media conferencing server of FIG. 1 showing various components that are used to provide a combined audio stream to one of the three conferees according to one embodiment of the present invention; [0019] FIG. 4 is a more detailed, but still simplified, illustration of the media conferencing server of FIG. 1 showing various components that are used to provide a combined video stream to one of the three conferees according to one embodiment of the present invention; [0020] FIG. 5 is a simplified illustration showing the manner in which data from a master stream and a slave stream are combined according to one embodiment of the present invention; Continue reading about Data mixer for portable communications devices... 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